PROFESSOR VALERIE M POMEROY

Professor Valerie M Pomeroy – Neurorehabilitation Theme Lead

Following qualification as a physiotherapist at the Cambridge School of Physiotherapy and holding a variety of clinical posts, Professor Pomeroy obtained a PhD from the School of Medicine, University of Southampton. Between 1996 and 2002 she was Senior Lecturer in Stroke Therapy Research at the University of Manchester and was also Director of The Stroke Association’s Therapy Research Unit. Between 2002 and 2008 she was Professor of Rehabilitation for Older People at St George’s, University of London. In 2008 Professor Pomeroy took up the Chair of Neurorehabilitation at the UEA.

Professor Valerie Pomeroy, Professor of Neurorehabilitation and Director of Research, School of Health Sciences, University of East Anglia – expertise in translational research into neuroscience-based rehabilitation interventions (proof-of-concept and early phase trials). Emphasis is placed on care closer to home and development of sensitive physiological measures for timely identification of response to therapy, prediction of response and the neural correlates of response. Particular expertise is in MedTech development especially after securing team mentorship on the Design Council Leadership Programme in 2014. We have a track record of partnership with SMEs, e.g. joint industrial-university funded PhD studentship to develop a virtual reality product and industrial partners being co-applicants on competitive funding applications and funded projects. Also central, is iterative working with users. Activity includes partnership: with clinicians to run a product test-bed and people with brain injury to generate and refine products. We also have a home setting resource for the community to explore the usefulness of assistive technology for everyday living.

Neurorehabilitation Theme

The Acquired Brain Injury Rehabilitation Alliance (ABIRA) is a multidisciplinary group of researchers and clinicians who are focused on undertaking research that is of direct relevance to the challenges people experience after brain injury. They have a particular focus on the investigation of rehabilitation interventions that are suitable for people who receive the majority of their rehabilitation whilst living at home.

Emphasis is therefore placed on the investigation of neuroscience-based therapies that can be self-administered with guidance from a therapist and that can be augmented through the use of technological devices. One strand of the current investigation is focused on how they can use sensitive physiological measures for timely identification of response to therapy and the prediction of likely response.

Another strand is focused on asset-based community approaches to rehabilitation following brain injury. Particular expertise is in MedTech development especially after securing team mentorship on the Design Council Leadership Programme in 2014. They have a track record of partnership with SMEs, e.g. joint industrial-university funded PhD studentship to develop a virtual reality product and industrial partners being co-applicants on competitive funding applications and funded projects. Also central is iteratively working with people with a brain injury and with rehabilitation clinicians. Activity includes partnership: with clinicians to run a product test-bed and people with brain injury to generate and refine products. They also have a home setting resource for the community to explore the usefulness of assistive technology for everyday living.

ABIRA network

Write to the ABIRA Team at:

abira@uea.ac.uk